It is, of course, generally known to utilize revolvers as handguns for shooting, whether for sport, hunting, protection, military purposes, or the like. Indeed, the revolver cylinder handgun has been in use since about 1818, when the first revolver cylinder handgun was invented by Elisha Collier, and has been improved upon ever since. The first cartridge revolvers were made in 1856 by Smith & Wesson as a “revolving gun,” which has been shortened to, simply, “revolver.”
The revolver, in operation, works, generally, as follows: as the user cocks a hammer, a cylinder revolves to align a chamber and round with the hammer and the barrel of the gun. The hammer-cocking occurs either directly (via the shooter pulling it back) or indirectly (via the first portion of the trigger pull in double-action revolvers). In modern revolvers, the revolving cylinder typically chambers five or six rounds, but some models may hold 10 rounds or more. Although most revolvers are handguns, other firearms may also have revolving cylinders, such as rifles.
The moonclip is a device that allows for relatively easy loading of rounds into and unloading of spent casings out from the revolving cylinders of revolvers. Indeed, to typically load a revolving cylinder with rounds, the cylinder is typically rotated out of alignment from the firing pin and the barrel exposing the chambers within which the rounds are placed. Each round may be placed individually into each of the exposed chambers. Upon filling, the cylinder is rotated back in alignment with the firing pin and the barrel. The revolver is then typically ready for discharge. The moonclip was developed to hold all of the rounds that may be added to a cylinder of a revolver as one complete unit. Moonclips may either hold an entire cylinder's worth of cartridges together (full moon clip), half a cylinder (half-moon clip), or just two neighboring cartridges.
FIG. 1 illustrates a prior art round or cartridge 10 that may be fired from a revolver or other firearm. The round or cartridge 10 may include a casing 12 filling with propellant (not shown), and a bullet 14. At the base of the round may be a primer (not shown) that may be struck by a hammer of a gun to ignite the propellant, thereby forcefully expelling the bullet from the casing. The casing may further have a groove 16 running the circumference of the casing that may aid the casing in loading the round or cartridge 10 into a chamber of a revolver.
FIG. 2 illustrates a prior art moonclip 20. The moonclip 20 may be a roughly circular metal frame 22 having a plurality of round receiving receptacles 24 for holding the rounds on the moonclip 20. The round receiving receptacles 24 hold the rounds by engaging with the groove 16 (as illustrated in FIG. 1). FIG. 3 shows the moonclip 20 partially filled with a plurality of rounds. Two of the round receiving receptacles are unfilled. Thus, the moonclip 20, when fully filled with rounds, may be inserted into the cylinder of the revolver, as illustrated in FIG. 4. The cylinder may then be closed, with the moonclip holding the rounds within the chambers of the cylinder. The revolver may then be ready for discharging the bullets therefrom. In general, moonclips may have open berths for a plurality of rounds or cartridges, and the number of spaces for holding rounds or cartridges is dependent on the number of chambers of the firearm for holding the rounds. For example, moonclips may be utilized for 5-shot firearms, 6-short firearms, or any other number apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art. Moreover, while moonclips are typically know for engaging the groove at the base of a round or cartridges, moonclips may also be used with so-called “rimfire cartridges”—those lacking a groove for engaging a moonclip, such as, for example, the 0.22 long rifle.
Moonclips aid in helping users of the revolver load the cylinder with rounds. The military first required moonclips to hold rimless 45 ACP cartridges, or rounds, in the Model 1917 revolver. Over time, the moonclips fell out of favor until Smith & Wesson, in the 1970s and 1980s, introduced the Model 625 45 ACP revolver. This revolver became very popular and in a few years several new shooting sports were born based on the revolver, specifically combat shooting, action shooting and bowling pin shooting. Each of these sports requires that the competitor make reloads during the course of fire. Thus, moonclips became necessary to easily, quickly and efficiently reload the revolvers.
In practice, the moonclips operate by allowing the entirety of rounds that may fill a cylinder to be added to the cylinder at the same time as one unit, saving significant time. Moreover, all of the spent casings may be removed when the cylinder is fully discharged, again saving significant time in emptying the cylinder of the casings.
While the speed and ease of loading and emptying of rounds and casings into and out from the cylinder may be significantly increased, the moonclips themselves must be loaded. However, it is often difficult and time-consuming to load the moonclips and thereby ready the moonclips for use in the revolver.
Moonclip tools are known to aid in the loading of rounds onto moonclips for their use in revolvers. Various types of moonclip tools are known. Examples of moonclip tools include the “Moonsetter™”, a tool generally in the shape of pliers having an arbor on one jaw and a holder for a round on the other. The Moonsetter™ is difficult to operate: a user must balance a round on the one jaw, and manually position the moonclip on the other to receive the round.
Another moonclip tool, marketed as “The Original Moonclip Tool” utilizes a base having a movable arbor and a spring-loaded lever with notches therein. The moonclip may be placed on the arbor and a round may be placed in position between the lever and the moonclip. The moonclip is typically disposed so that a small space is provided between the round receiving receptacles of the moonclip and the base. Therefore, when a round is disposed into a round receiving receptacle, as disclosed below, the round receiving receptacle of the moonclip tool may be in the proper position to receive the groove of the casing of the round.
A round receiving receptacle of the moonclip is then manually rotated to align with the round, and the spring-loaded lever is moved to push the round into the round receiving receptacle of the moonclip. As noted above, the moonclip may be disposed at the proper position for the round receiving receptacle to engage the groove of the round, firmly holding the round in place within the round receiving receptacle.
Another moonclip tool is known as the “Remooner™”, which provides a platform for holding a moonclip on an arbor, and a trigger for pushing rounds onto a moonclip. However, the Remooner™ does not provide the leverage necessary for generating the sufficient force required to clip rounds onto certain moonclips, such as 45 ACP or other like rounds, since pushing a round onto a moonclip is merely limited to an user's hand strength as the user squeezes the Remooner™. Moreover, the Remooner™ is awkward to handle and utilize, since the moonclips and rounds must be placed in a rear position on the apparatus. Finally, the Remooner™ is not ergonomic in that an individual must hold the apparatus at an awkward angle, creating tension in the hands and wrist and decreasing the force from the hands as a user utilizes the apparatus.
It can be difficult to utilize existing moonclip tools to load rounds into a moonclip. Specifically, to properly hold most existing moonclip tools, one must typically tilt the moonclip tool on its side and manually place a round for receipt in alignment with the round receiving receptacle of the moonclip. By tilting the moonclip tool, the round itself may be difficult to align, and if not held properly, the round may fall off the moonclip tool before being received by the moonclip.
A need, therefore, exists for apparatus, systems and methods for loading rounds to moonclips. Specifically, a need exists for apparatus, systems and methods for quickly, easily and efficiently clipping rounds onto a moonclip so that the same may be used for loading into a revolver.
Moreover, a need exists for apparatus, systems and methods for loading rounds to moonclips that provides stability for the moonclips and the rounds added thereto. Moreover, a need exists for apparatus, systems and methods for loading rounds to moonclips that allows rounds to be easily aligned and pushed onto the moonclips.
Further, a need exists for apparatus, systems and methods for loading rounds to moonclips that offers significant automation so that a user may easily accomplish the loading of the moonclips. Still further, a need exists for apparatus, systems and methods for loading rounds to moonclips that allows automatic advancement and alignment of the rounds as each round is loaded onto a moonclip.